It is hardly praiseworthy, even if it arguably provides decent coverage for the Netanyahu investigations. In an article published in Al-Monitor with almost zero verifiable citation, Israeli journalist, Shlomi Eldar, went to unprecedented lengths to divert attention from the corruption in his country. He spoke of Palestinian journalists – all speaking on condition of anonymity – who “applauded” and “admired” Israeli media coverage of corruption scandals surrounding the country’s right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Eldar’s journalism aside, one would think that seeking Palestinian admiration for Israeli media should be the least urgent question to address at this time. Others are far more pressing. So, why is it that, while Netanyahu is being indicted for bribery, no Israeli official is ever indicted for war crimes against Palestinians? Factually speaking, before Netanyahu’s corruption scandals included more serious charges – for instance, quid pro quo deals in which his advisors tried to manipulate media coverage in his favor and offering high political positions in exchange for favors – it included bribes pertaining to fancy cigars and expensive drinks.

What Israelis are trying to tell us is that, despite all of its problems, Israel is a good, transparent, law-abiding and democratic society. This is precisely why Eldar wrote his article. The outcome was a familiar act of intellectual hubris that we have grown familiar with. The Israeli journalist even cites a supposedly former Palestinian prisoner who told Al-Monitor that, while in prison, “we learned how the democratic election process works in Israel. The prisoners adopted the system in order to elect their leadership in a totally democratic fashion, while ensuring freedom of choice.” Others cited their favorite Israeli journalist, some of whom have served and continue to serve as mouthpieces for official Israeli propaganda.

Many of Israel’s friends in western governments and corporate media have also contributed to this opportunistic style of journalism; they come to the rescue when times are hard, to find ways to praise Israel and to chastise Palestinians and Arabs, even if the latter are not relevant to the discussion, whatsoever. If Israeli media was truly honest in its depiction of Netanyahu’s corruption, it would have made a point of highlighting the extent to which corruption goes well beyond the prime minister, his wife and a few close confidantes, but this would pierce through the entire legal, political and business establishment rendering the system itself as rotten and corrupt.

Instead, the heart of the discussion is relocated somewhere else entirely. In Eldar’s article, for example, he quotes the anonymous Palestinian who speaks about how Palestinian prisoners “rejected the political systems of Arab states and opted for the one they had absorbed from the ‘Israeli enemy’. In the final analysis, somehow Israel maintains the upper hand and self-granted moral ascendency. This is also why Israelis refer to their country as “the only democracy in the Middle East”. It is a defense mechanism to divert from the fact that apartheid, racially-structured political systems are inherently undemocratic. So, Israel resorts to belittling its neighbors to confirm its own self-worth.

About us

We are committed to keeping the Islamic world for tomorrow and beyond, and alongside that, we guarantee that important Islamic frameworks are our priority.
We are committed to protecting the Islamic world and, accordingly, we recognize knowledge as an important factor in the ability and consider the media one of the most important means of expanding it.
Accordingly, our fields of activity are the Islamic principles and the interests of the Ummah of Islam. We seek to raise awareness in the international arena and will work hard to achieve it.
It is our duty to be dynamic in the period when foreign aggression against Islamic countries, especially the Islamic Republic, has continued and we are on the path to defending Islamic values.
We believe in the progress and prosperity of the Islamic world for unity, integrity, justice and wisdom, and we hope we can move on to advance and advance it.